Overview & Reviews

One of America's most storied automotive brands, Dodge has been around since the early days of the auto industry. In the past couple of decades, it has revitalized itself to be a producer of aggressively styled and performance-oriented vehicles.

Two brothers, Horace and John Dodge, began the Dodge Brothers Motor Vehicle company in 1914, after having worked as manufacturers of bicycles and automotive parts. Their first vehicle was a touring car that proved a fast favorite with car buyers; it was soon joined by a roadster and a four-door sedan. By 1917, the company's model line had grown to include trucks. Dodge cars and trucks were used as staff vehicles and ambulances in World War I.

Dodge was briefly owned by a banking firm and subsequently sold by its new owner to the Chrysler Corporation in 1928. From there, the brand slowly evolved into the division responsible for trucks and performance-oriented cars. Post WWII, Dodge introduced vehicles like the military-inspired Power Wagon truck, Hemi-powered Coronet and the Royal Lancer; in addition, the manufacturer began offering dealer-installed air-conditioning.

Vehicles like the Dodge Dart and the Coronet kept the manufacturer in American driveways throughout the 1960s. That decade also saw the launch of one of Dodge's most iconic vehicles, the Charger. Dodge's muscle car was based on the Coronet platform, and featured a fastback roof line, hidden headlamps and a full-width taillamp panel. Best of all, the Charger could pack one heck of a wallop under the hood. A 318-cubic-inch V8 was standard, but buyers seeking maximum brawn could upgrade to a 426-cubic-inch, 425-hp Hemi V8. The company also introduced a Mustang-fighting pony car, called the Challenger, in 1970.

As with other American auto manufacturers, Dodge's fortunes started to slip in the '70s due to changing tastes and increased competition. The company was saved from extinction in the early '80s thanks to government loans and the sales success of its Omni and Aries economy cars (the former an attempted copy of the VW Rabbit). But 1984 was when Dodge made its mark in the history books with the introduction of the wildly popular Caravan. Ideal for families and able to seat up to seven, the space-efficient Caravan started a whole new vehicle segment -- the minivan.

The early '90s saw the company wow the public with the V10-powered Viper roadster and an all-new Ram pickup that set a new standard for big-rig-like styling. A few years later, Dodge came to be part of DaimlerChrysler, a result of the merger of the German company Daimler (owner of Mercedes-Benz) and Chrysler.

The merger never really worked, however, and Daimler sold Chrysler and Dodge to a private equity firm in 2007. Soon after, America's economy slid into recession. Due to poor sales and debt, Chrysler had to declare bankruptcy. The federal government intervened and eventually Dodge came under control of Fiat, a European automaker known for its small cars, an area where Dodge's entries had been roundly criticized for mediocre build quality and unrefined performance.

More recent years have seen Dodge concentrate on the more practical vehicles in its lineup, making notable improvements to the performance and overall quality of its midsize Avenger sedan and Journey SUV entries. Dodge also spun off its truck line, making it a separate Ram brand. But make no mistake; Dodge is still considered Chrysler's performance division thanks to cars like the Challenger and Charger. Time will tell how successful Dodge's latest makeover is.

User Reviews:

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  Whats the problem? - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By Cosrai - February 11 - 2:00 am

  Bought 2 identical Durangoes for my company at the same time. Weve had some problems, but all were relatively minor. I believe Dodge suffers from a bad reputation and this is reflected in some of the reviews. My fathers 2 new Chevy Pups had their transmissions replaced- one of them twice. My wifes Infiniti needed a transmission at 15k. But whod call a Chevy or an Infinit a piece of junk? As for gas mileage, yeah, I think its a little low but Ive got the 5.9 and Ive still gotten as much as 17.9 on the highway. Ive crossed the Continental Divide in my Durango and I was passing every car I had the chance to. How many other vehicles thatll haul 7 people can do that?

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  Wish I had all wheel drive. - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Dave - February 10 - 10:16 pm

  This is a great car and lots of fun to drive. Gives a super smooth ride with really nice handeling qualities. Great acceleration as well. The only negatives are the Continental Touring tires the car came equipped with. Real junk, only got 14,000 miles out of them. The only compensation the dealer offered me was to get a 25% discount on the same tires! The only other negative is this car is terrible in the snow. Just a few weeks after I bought this car they came out with all wheel drive! If the dealer had told me this I would have waited a few weeks and bought the all wheel. All in all a really nice though.

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  Luxury Plus Muscle - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By MrG - February 10 - 6:13 pm

  This car has the smooth ride of a luxury sedan with the responsiveness of a sports car. Go for the R/T if you like to pull away from the pack.

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  Great Idea, needs refinement - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Willy - February 10 - 4:26 pm

  I got my Caliber as my first new car, and first domestic car. I am happy with the fuel economy, and ride of the car. I have had a few issues with the car, Numerous rattles with the radio on, intermittant stalling problems with the clutch depressed, while slowing down, speedometer jumping. With the electronically controlled throttle, there isnt much throttle response til youre about 3/4 through the gear. I have also experienced torque-steer at higher rpms. With the exception of the rattles, the stereo is very nice, the clutch grabs hard, making it fun at high rpm shifts.

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  2nd good one - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By surflad - February 10 - 9:16 am

  Bought a 1995 Caravan with 50k miles in 1997. Put another 120k miles on it in 6 years. Transmission went out at 75k miles but was covered by warranty. In 02 traded the 95 in on this 2001 Sport. Now has 220,000 miles on it. Replaced entire A/C system in 07, $1k. Replaced transmission at 210,000, used one for $750. Other than that both front window motors, one alternator. Now on second tune up, second set of brakes, fourth set of tires, Goodyears. Doesnt use any oil, rides great! Hauls surfboards, kayaks, musical equipment and still gets 25mpg on highway. We love it!

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  Tale of the Smoking Stealth - 1991 Dodge Stealth
  By flyrockies - February 10 - 2:00 am

  Bought this car from Kuni Lexus in Colorado in August 1995 with 60,000 mi. Absolutely wonderful car to drive until 100,000 mi. Exhaust started smoking, wouldnt pass emissions. Needed new engine. Paid over $3,000 for rebuild, lasted 2 yrs before it started smoking again. Had electrical problems when a short occured in the wiring bundle. The car would shut off in the middle of the road. Car lasted until 151,000 miles.

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  dodge intrepid - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By susu - February 10 - 2:00 am

  no standard abs poor handleing in wet weather wipers wore out quick std stereo is poor quality compared to other cars of its class transmision slips frequently , dodges excuse is that it is an electronic trany ............poor!!!! this is unexcuseable very bad resale value. i purchased this car at 0% financing and im fliped !!! thats bad. when you are looking for a car , look at the resale value in black book befor you deside that will tell you how good the car is you are buying this car is good to get from a to b but nothing special . too much money for the quality of this car

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  Pretty good truck - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By J. Hilderbran - February 10 - 2:00 am

  Overall the experience has been a positive one. This truck has a great feel to it & is a blast to drive. It has enough power when you need it. It looks sharp & the interior is well finished. It is very comfortable & the extended cab is roomy enough. It has had one mechanical problem. The sending unit in the gas tank is bad & the gas guage reads quarter full when you are actually out of gas. The original Goodyear tires sucked (but all Goodyear tires suck). The gas milage is pretty good. The only bad exterior problem is with the black front bumper. It started flaking & rusting at about 25,000 miles. The rest of the paint job has held up well.

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  Lemon - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By Darryl Knieff - February 10 - 2:00 am

  I have had poor luck with my Dakota! It will shimmy, try to die, rattles, and has poor power on take off. I hav been told by (experts) that this is normal for this truck. Now you and I know this isn`t true. It also has major slack in the drive-train. My gas mileage is much worse than sticker showed. This is the second Dakota bought new that I have had problems with, a 93, and this 02,. Who would dream of getting 2 lemons in a row, or is this the standard for dodge. I will never own another chrysler product!

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  This car handles GREAT! - 2001 Dodge Neon
  By neonguy - February 9 - 2:00 am

  This car runs excellent... I put about 100 miles a day on it and use a fraction of the tank of gas. In the snow, it handles great- it helps to put weight int he trunk in the neons, as they seem light in the trunk. Highly reccomend this car to anyone for a reliable, safe, and peppy little car.